Tis a Gift
by rapunzells
Summary: Gift of the Magi AU.


Regina smoothed her dress, a royal shade of purple fit for a queen, over her hips. Her mother insisted on dressing her in the latest fashion, always showering Regina in hats and parasols. There was nothing wrong with being flashy, but Regina would rather spend her money in other ways. Like buying a gift for Emma.

Lifting her chin, she entered Mr. Gold's shop. She heard the click of his cane before she saw him emerge from the back of the shop. Regina nervously tucked her hair behind her ear. She'd been hoping for his wife Belle to be working tonight- she had a reputation for being more generous with lowering the price tag.

"Ms. Mills," he greeted in his cold voice.

She walked up to the counter, placing her hands flat on it. "Good afternoon, Mr. Gold. I'm here to buy a gift."

"For your mother?"

Bastard. "For a friend."

"And what did you have in mind?"

"A chain for a watch."

Mr. Gold limped to a shelf and pulled out a stand with jewelry hanging off it. He brought it back to her, pulling the watch chains off and laying them out on the counter. Regina ran her hand over a gold chain. It went perfectly with Emma's watch. Not that women typically wore pocketwatches, but she was sure Emma would appreciate the addition to her prized possession.

Regina eyed the price tag. Oh. perhaps gold was out of her price range. She moved onto the silver, but that, too, was too expensive.

She considered turning around and forgetting she even tried. Regina's mother was hosting a gathering at their house tomorrow and Regina had planned to pull Emma aside to give her gift to her. She and Emma hadn't talked about gifts, though. Maybe Emma wasn't even getting her anything. It would be difficult to sneak a gift onto her carriage and to Regina's house with her parents right there. But then Regina thought of how much Emma adored her father's pocketwatch and how her face would light up when she saw that Regina had thought to buy a chain for it. Maybe she would even kiss Regina.

"Do you have anything cheaper?" She croaked out.

"I'm afraid this is all I have, dearie."

Regina shook her head. "I need to buy one of these but I can't afford half the price."

"How about a trade?" He asked. "Your mother always buys beautiful things for you. I'm sure you have something to spare."

Regina did a mental sweep of her room. Sure she had many hats and gloves and parasols and jewels but her mother kept her eyes on her possessions like a hawk. Once Regina lent a pair of earrings to Emma and within the day her mother was asking her what happened to the jewelry. Plus her mom liked to hang around Mr. Gold from time to time. She'd recognize something she bought for Regina in his shop.

"I don't think I can get away with giving you something my mother bought."

"Fair enough." He nodded. "What else has value?"

Regina ran her hand through her curls. Mostly everything she owned came from her mother. Her wardrobe, her furniture, even her own body. Wait.

"My hair." She whispered.

Mr. Gold raised his eyebrows. "It would have to be a lot of hair to be equal to even the cheapest chain. Just how much are you willing to part with?"

From childhood she'd wanted to have long hair. She always envied ladies with perfect curls tumbling down their backs. She'd just achieved that look.

"As much as it takes." She shot back, sounding more confident than she felt.

So they agreed on a length and he sent her out to make an appointment at Rapunzel's Salon to sell her hair and give him the profits. She scheduled it for tomorrow- her mother wouldn't be able to yell at her when she first saw her at the party.

When she arrived back home, she heard voices in the parlor. Sure enough, the Nolans lounged on the sofa taking tea. Everyone rose from their seats to greet her. Curtseying, she locked eyes with Emma.

"Emma you may be excused," Mary Margaret said. Emma nodded, leaving the room with Regina.

When they got to the safety of Regina's room, Emma fell back on the bed, groaning. "Thank God my mom freed me of that hell. Cora never shuts up. No offense."

"None taken." Regina sat next to Emma, who propped herself up on her elbows to look at her.

"Hey," Emma bit her lip, "about tomorrow...are we getting gifts for each other?"

"Of course," Regina answered. "We can meet up in the backyard at the beginning of the night. Nobody will notice."

Emma lifted a hand to play with Regina's hair. "I wish we didn't have to sneak around."

"Someday." Regina promised.

Emma's lips turned up in a half smile. She leaned up, brushing them against Regina's. Emma sat up straighter, her hands resting on Regina's back. As the kiss deepened, her hands traveled up into her hair.

When they parted, Emma sighed. "Your hair is beautiful. You should wear it up more."

Regina nodded, keeping her mouth shut. No such thing would be happening for a very long time once she cut it. Hopefully Emma wouldn't mind.

The next day, Rapunzel's hands shook as she brought the scissors to Regina's braid. _Snip._ Her hair ended just under her ears now. She turned her head this way and that, feeling a cool rush of air on her neck instead of locks of hair.

Mr. Gold waited at the front of the salon, the money already in his pocket. When Regina approached him, he offered her a thin box. "Thank you," she murmured, pulling up her hood as she left the building.

She dressed in the blue dress her mother had laid out for her, adding a hat to hide her lack of hair. She slipped out the back door to wait for Emma on the porch. As she adjusted to the crisp December air, she lifted the lid of the box to look at the chain.

He'd given her the most expensive chain. She'd expected him to give her one of his cheaper ones, but no, he gave her the golden chain that would perfectly compliment Emma's watch. Feeling all of a sudden fuzzy, she snapped the lid shut.

Just then Emma pushed open the door. Regina ran into her arms, struggling to maneuver her head around Emma's with the large hat. When they pulled away, Regina offered her the box. "You open yours first."

Emma pushed forward a small box. "No, you open yours."

Exchanging boxes, Regina asked, "At the same time?"

Emma nodded. They both pulled off the lids of their boxes. Emma got her...combs. For her hair.

Regina's head snapped up to Emma. Emma's glassy eyes stared back at her. "A chain." She whispered.

"For your watch."

"Regina, there's something I need to tell you."

Regina shook her head. "No, there's something I need to tell you." She grabbed the rim of her hat. "Or show you." She pulled the hat off, placing it on the ground.

Emma gasped. "What did you do?"

Regina shook her head. "Mother would be suspicious if I spent so much money on you but I wanted to get you a chain."

"You cut off your hair for me?"

"Yes."

Emma flung her arms around Regina's neck, pressing her gingerbread-tasting lips to Regina's. "Thank you," she said, "but your gift to me is as useless as mine is to you."

Regina grabbed Emma's hand. "You didn't…"

"I sold it to Gold."

Regina wrapped her arms around Emma, burying her face in her neck. "I love you."

"I know."


End file.
